Efficiency is a productivity metrics meaning how fast one can do something. Hence Testing efficiency metric can be "No. of test cases executed per hour or per person day". This explains how efficient (i.e. fast) the person is at testing.

Effectiveness is a quality metrics meaning how good a person is at testing. Hence Testing effectiveness metrics can be "No. of bugs identified by a tester in a given feature / Total no. of bugs identified in that feature". Here the difference between total bugs and bugs identified by the tester could be that some bugs must have been uncovered by the customer since the tester was not able to detect them during testing.

If bugs uncovered by a tester and total no. of bugs are same, meaning that all the defects were uncovered by the tester, then he is 100 % effective in testing the product.
Posted on Wednesday, June 9, 2004 7:38 AM
Software Testing
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When I was with IBM, I remember I came across a definition which attributed efficiency to systems and processes and effectiveness to people. However, I also quote from engineering background a definition of efficiency as the output/input ratio.

Effectiveness seems to be related to achieving results (desired effects) regardless of how efficient or inefficient the involved system(s)/process(es) is or are

Efficiency and effectiveness despite its differences are interrelated. This is because while efficiency is looking at how a work is done. Effectiveness on the other hand looks into what is being done.Even though efficiency is regardless of quality, if the best efficient means is used, it turns out that quality products are achieved.

For an organisation both efficiency and effectiveness are important. an organisation has set of objectives which it has to fulfill within the available resources. how far it is able to acheive its goals/objectives with minimum utilisation of resources determines its effectiveness and efficiency levels respectively...

the above write up is very clearly explained. it is short and conscise which add up to pleasure of reading. all the definations are clearly seperated which results increase visibility. the addition of colour would have been brougt more distinction between various definitions.

Efficiency is a productivity metrics meaning how fast one can do something. Hence Testing efficiency metric can be "No. of test cases executed per hour or per person day". This explains how efficient (i.e. fast) the person is at testing.

Effectiveness is a quality metrics meaning how good a person is at testing. Hence Testing effectiveness metrics can be "No. of bugs identified by a tester in a given feature / Total no. of bugs identified in that feature". Here the difference between total bugs and bugs identified by the tester could be that some bugs must have been uncovered by the customer since the tester was not able to detect them during testing.

Effectiveness has to do with the achievement of objective but how the objective will be achieved is efficiency.In effect effectiveness is achieving results but efficiency is using fewer resources to achieve the said results.

Example;Sally and Sandra have been given 20units to produce the same output of 40units.They both produced 40units of output but Sally used 12units of inputs whiles Sandra used all the 20units of inputs.

Here Sally and Sandra have all been effective since they have all achieved the required results of 40units of output.But how the outputs were achieved is the question of efficiency. Sally used only 12units of output to achieve the 40units required output whiles Sandra used all the 20units of inputs to achieve the required 40units of outputs.

So we say Sally has been efficient (effective and efficient)Sandra has not been efficient but effective.

the really awesome posts on the topic.....i wd say there is a thin line of difference between the efficiency and effectiveness but only when the efficiency has been worked upon. To bring out the effective method, one really has to work very hard on its efficiency. so at the organization level efficiency takes the higher priority.

eating soup with a fork is not efficient but effective. the job is done the hard way. eating the same soup with the spoon that you left in the drawer is efficency. it gets the same job done the easier way.

Don't concentrate too much on the distinctions between the two words however. What's important is to determine what your own needs (or your company's needs) are, create categories for them, work to accomplish them, and then set up systems to measure your progress.

It's true that effectiveness and efficiency should be measured in this process, but we believe there are other, equally important things that need to be valued and, therefore, evaluated. They are:

Efficiency = Output / Input (Resources)Effectiveness = Output / TargetWhat is better? Answer: We can not answer.Because Efficiency point to reducing resources (Time/Man/Machine/Material/Money/etc..) Effectiveness point to reach target.The best way. We need both of them.

In a industry both efficiency and effectiveness is requied but in combined manner, because when efficiency process will be done the effectiveness will be in mind. it will result in more productivity in less resourses with better quality for competitive advantage and for consumer satisfaction.

Efficiency - Within a given constraints, how best you can achieve your results in terms of its completeness and correctness.

Effectiveness - Achieving the best results but without having constraints. For example - if someone asked to do the a particular task, and provided him all the resources he needs and then judging him/her that how best are the results - defines the effectiveness of a person.

Efficiency: more care about quality such as:time, money,effortEffectiveness: more care about quality of productgenerally, Effectivness is more important, but a company needs both of them to be more successful

effectiveness refers to management’s use of organization resources in meeting organizational goals. If organizations are using their resources to attain their goals, the managers are said to be effective. In reality, however there are degrees of managerial effectiveness. The close an organization comes to achieving its goal, the more effective its managers are considered to be. Managerial effectiveness, then, exists on a continuum ranging from ineffective to effective.

efficiency is the proportion of total organizational resources that contribute to productivity during the manufacturing process. The higher this proportion the more efficient the manager. The more resources wasted or unused during the production process, the efficient manager. The situation, organizational resources refers not only to raw materials that are used in manufacturing goods or services but also related human effort.

Being effective means producing powerful effects. Being efficient means producing results with little wasted effort. It is the ability to carry out actions quickly. However, by so doing, you may not be achieving effectiveness. Effectiveness involves achieving your worthwhile goals that support your vision and mission.

For instance, you may be very efficient at working through and completing your to-do list. However, when you shift your focus to being effective, you may choose to delegate part of your list, stop doing some of it, and focus on one or two things that enable you to achieve your goals. Perhaps you're efficient at sending follow up letters to potential clients, but being effective may mean only following up more comprehensively on certain key ones.Where does your time go?

When your intention shifts to being more effective, you can achieve your worthwhile goals in much less time. You choose the things that improve your effectiveness instead of doing more and more to achieve a sense of efficiency.

Effectiveness comes from taking the time to stop and evaluate, rather than running faster and faster. Discovering for yourself what effectiveness means, and what it will take for you to achieve this, is one of the objectives of coaches when working with individuals or organizations. When I'm working with clients, we often focus on their effectiveness. Our weekly telephone coaching session provides the opportunity to stop, look at where they are and where they want to be.

I believe that effectiveness is enhanced when you take time to re-evaluate. I'm also a great believer in taking this time at regular intervals during your day. So many people set out to work harder and harder, without really looking to see if they're being effective. I've found that what works best for me is to work for 15 minutes slots with breaks of a few minutes in between.

I strongly believe that if more people worked this way, companies would be much stronger and more effective. For instance, lets say you're working on a proposal. You work on it for 15 minutes and then put it aside for the next few minutes. You can use this break to stretch your legs, step outside for fresh air, enjoy a period of quiet reflection, or clear thoughts from your mind. You choose what would be most beneficial.

When you return to your proposal for the next 15 minutes, you'll probably find that something occurs to you which you had forgotten, or you didn't see as being important. You may find you now have a different perspective on it or you now have a solution to something you were stuck on. It's increased your effectiveness. When you only have 15 minutes, you'll work more effectively to achieve more within this artificial deadline.

Work smarter, not harder. You'll become far more effective in achieving your goals and vision.

efficiency is obTaining the maximum level of output(in terms of services produced or delivered) from a given level of inputs,or alternatively the use of minimum input for a given output....i.e DO THINGS RIGHT...while effectiveness is concerned with achieveing the goals of the organisation or operation....i.e DO THE RIGHT THING..

Efficiency"the degree of economy with which process consumes resources especially time and money".Effectiveness" how well the process actually accomplishes its intended purpose here again from the customer point of view"

Efficiency is the end product of being effective... How can you be effective with the things that you are doing if you are not efficient? e.g... in school... if the teacher is not efficient of researching the innovative technology that we have today, how do you will the student be effective?

Efficiency and effectiveness are both commonly used management terms. If you look for both terms in most dictionaries you'll very similar definitions (which make the matter even more confusing). Yet, while they sound and start with the same letters, they both mean different things.

efficiently related wiyh timweffectiveness related to quality e.g boss told you that i need 20 unit ofcomputer in 6day . they produce 20 unit in 6day intime (efficiency)but the quality is not good as compare to previous computer produce by employer (not effectivness)

In the world of security, effectiveness means ensuring that sustainable peace is achieved for a conflict situation; efficiency means, achieving the peace by means and processes where all parties to the conflict win,there is less aggregate harm, the resources used are cost effectively applied and an optimal time is used.

I want to thank you for the definition of those 2 concepts. I had a defintion from the book of Steven R. Covey. I hear those concepts often and I realized that lots of people do not know the difference of them. Thanks again for those explainations.

I agree that efficiency is related with input and output (product)and effectiveness is related with output and outcome (customer feedback). Now outcome give direction to be more efficient as based upon outcome we can improve inputs, resources and controls to get more and better output.